DURHAM REGION AND GTA POVERTY

Food Bank pushes for Thanksgiving donations

2008-10-09T09:40:00.000-07:00

PICKERING-- Rae Coulter, director of the St. Paul's on the hill Community Food Band, with some of the empty books and shelves. With Thanksgiving coming soon she's hoping those shelves and boxes will be filled. October 3 2008
St. Paul's on-the-Hill Community Food Bank's annual drive is underway

Oct 07, 2008 - 02:09 PM

By Kristen Calis

PICKERING -- Another Thanksgiving is near, and volunteers at the St. Paul's On-the-Hill Community Food Bank are working as hard as ever to help feed the hungry in Ajax and Pickering.

"The September numbers are almost even to last year's," said Rae Coulter, the food bank's director.
More than 2,100 Ajax and Pickering families used the food bank last year, which represents more than 6,200 people. Volunteers work hard all year, collecting, sorting and giving food to hungry families, but they put an emphasis on collecting food each October for the Thanksgiving Drive, which is currently underway. Although volunteers enjoy helping the community, Ms. Coulter is sad that what was intended as a temporary fix is still running 18 years later.

"We're helping someone that just needs help," Ms. Coulter said. "Welfare is just not enough for them. All we give them is just enough to tide them over from cheque to cheque."
Garnet Ferguson, along with his wife Gloria, has been volunteering since 2003, and he sees how much the quantity of food donations fluctuates.

"Now we've got all kinds of empties and we're looking for more food," he said, gesturing toward the empty shelves.
Ms. Coulter said each year the food bank's shelves get barer around Thanksgiving. The food items it especially needs are: kids snacks; cookies; crackers; peanut butter; tea; canned fruit; soup; and, cereal. And the food bank has to pay about $2,000 each month in rent so it welcomes donations just to stay on its feet.

"Money's good," she said. "That's what keeps us going." She added financial donations also help buy fresh milk and eggs for the clients.
She said to please ensure dates are good when donating food items. At the time the story was written, a can of soup was donated with an expiry date of 1993.
The food drive will run until the week after Thanksgiving, but the food bank accepts donations year round. Non-perishable food items can be donated at: any grocery store in Pickering; both

Sobey's stores in Ajax; Pickering and Ajax fire halls; 1537 Pickering Pkwy. (open each Tuesday and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to noon for donations and 10 a.m. to noon for pick-up, but closed each first full week of the month); and, St. Paul's On-the-Hill Anglican Church at 882 Kingston Rd.

For more information call 905-839-9537.

Together We Can Make A Difference

2008-05-19T19:55:00.000-07:00

We’re calling on you to help us tackle poverty.
Maybe it means supporting a local food bank, volunteering at a homeless shelter or building a compassionate business that provides job opportunities.
We need you to tell us.
Here’s your chance to make a difference.

Click on the URL

http://www.growingstronger.ca/en/index.html

SUGGESTIONS:

1. There needs to be a nutritional breakfast program put into place across Ontario in our current school systems.
2. There needs to be more clubs and educational activities for children after school hours.
3. The current system that is set up by the Ontario Disability Support Program is in adequate for todays demands and due to the high cost of living as well as the high a price of groceries at the local grocery stores.
Most recipients receiving this government assistance is basically just existing but not really living because the majority of recipients are broke by the middle of each month and are scraping the barrel to the end of the month when the next check comes in.
4. Out of curiosity I am really wondering if theses other agencies such as Ontario Works and these other agencies associated with the Ontario Works program are they really having any affect on the recipient who is really relying on them, the so-called caseworkers knowledge and their capabilities of really being able to benefit the recipient or is this just another government experiment wasting good money down the drain.
5. I have been involved with the Ontario Disability Support Program, as well as the Ontario Works Program, and also I had been involved with another Government Agency known as known as Northern Light's Agency who is supposed to be able to help disabled recipient get employment in their community I have been doing a dance with this agency for two years and yet they have not come up with a solution of getting me any employment the only thing I have gained out of this is a Reconditioned Computer System and after receiving it I had to do some modifications and use my startup money from Ontario Disability Support Program to get the computer system functional for my personal needs and use.
6. I am not your typical handicap recipient I am fairly knowledgeable and I believe I can contribute something to the community where I am currently living but due to not having adequate Public Transportation from our city or being able to depend on the Specialize Transportation Service or depending on the Flag Bus Service I have had to turn down possible employment because the public transportation system was not adequate, sufficient, dependable, or reliable, and order to take a employment position.
7. In my particular case and situation it is more practical and logical for me to have my own source of transportation meaning a vehicle of my own since I do have a valid drivers license in good standing but because of not having sufficient funds or not enough money to be able to purchase a good, reasonable price used vehicle I am blocked there needs to be something put into place for today's modern fast pace and everyone deserve the opportunity to better themselves and to be somewhat comfortable with out being treated like an animal, after all I was born here I was raised here and if this is the land of the free and my grandfather gave his life in World War I and my father was in World War II fighting for this country I am wondering what is really free, I am wanting to work and I am not asking for anything that I can't pay for but I would like the opportunity of living with dignity and to know that I am a human being that does count besides just being a number.
8. Also I am a Coordinator and Recruiter of DURHAM REGION-PICKERING ACORN CHAPTER " Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now"

Sincerely,

Garry Cuthbert
DURHAM REGION-PICKERING ACORN CHAPTER
Coordinator and Recruiter
106-1990 Whites Road,
Pickering, Ontario L1V 6P5
T:905 . 839 . 9031
Fax: 905 . 839 . 9031
E-mail:gcuthbert@rogers.com
Website:http://durhamregionontario.tripod.com/
Video:http://www.youtube.com/v/x6Qq5PEB2nM&hl=en

Immigrant, Canadian-born employment gap widens

2008-05-14T13:49:00.001-07:00

Immigrant, Canadian-born employment gap widens

Today's markets Highs and lows Mutual fund finder May 13, 2008 10:58 AM
Lesley Ciarula Taylor
Immigration Reporter

A rising tide in employment in 2007 has failed to carry recent immigrants with it.

Statistics Canada today released its second-ever comprehensive look at immigrants in the workforce.

And the picture is worse in 2007 than it was in 2006, particularly in the Greater Toronto Area for the most recent immigrants.

In raw numbers, employment among all working-age immigrants rose slightly across Canada. But the numbers are skewed by several factors: a boom in employment for immigrants in Quebec and Alberta, stronger results for established immigrants, an increase in the number of immigrants and a healthy rise in employment for everyone.

Despite those strengths, the unemployment gap widened between 2006 and 2007 between Canadian-born workers and immigrants. For the most recent immigrants, those here for five years or less, the unemployment rate is double that of Canadian-born workers

As well, immigrants found more of their jobs in trucking and urban transit - buses, taxis and limos - hotels, restaurants and bars. Canadian-born workers found more white-collar jobs in public administration, professional, scientific and technical services, finance, insurance, real estate and leasing.

One surprise in the study was that immigrants with university degrees led the immigrant employment growth, while among Canadian-born workers, it was those with college diplomas, says study author Jason Gilmore. Integrating immigrants isn't just a matter of university education, though, he says. Factors such as language, work experience, social networks and children also come into play

Gilmore says he can't explain the surge in working immigrants in Quebec, accounting for more than half thejump for Canadian immigrants in 2007 and most of it among established immigrants. It is, he says, "a very positive story" for Quebec.

By contrast, Ontario's crawling employment rate hammered immigrants the hardest. The unemployment rate for immigrants rose slightly to 6.8 per cent; for Canadian-born workers, it stayed the same at 4.4 per cent. For immigrants who've arrived in Ontario in the last five years, the rate is up to 11.9 per cent.

In Toronto, Gilmore says, the numbers for very recent immigrants are even worse, with an unemployment rate of 12.7 per cent.

More Articles:

http://www.thestar.com/search?t=&q=unemployment&r=&ll=&type=&dp=&PageNumber=&OrderBy=sPublishDate%20DESC

Immigrant, Canadian-born employment gap widens

2008-05-14T13:49:00.000-07:00

Immigrants face higher unemployment!!

2008-05-14T09:49:00.000-07:00

Immigrants face higher unemployment
TheStar.com - GTA - Immigrants face higher unemployment

May 14, 2008
Lesley Ciarula Taylor
Immigration Reporter

A chorus of voices are demanding the government help immigrants "hit the ground running" after a comprehensive new study showed the gap in unemployment between newcomers and Canadian-born workers is getting worse.

Statistics Canada yesterday reported a rising tide in employment in 2007 has failed to carry recent immigrants with it. And the picture is worse in 2007 than in 2006, particularly in the GTA.

Employment among all working-age immigrants rose slightly across Canada, thanks to a boom in employment for immigrants in Quebec and Alberta and stronger results for established immigrants.

In Ontario the unemployment rate for immigrants rose slightly to 6.8 per cent in 2007 while the rate for Canadian-born workers stayed the same at 4.4 per cent. For immigrants who've arrived in Ontario in the past five years, the rate is 11.9 per cent; in Toronto it's 12.7.

StatsCan said immigrants found their jobs in trucking and urban transit – buses, taxis – hotels, and restaurants. Canadian-born workers found more white-collar jobs in public administration, professional, scientific and technical services, finance, insurance and real estate.

Ratna Omidvar, executive director of The Maytree Foundation, which looks to help the poor and immigrants, says "Immigrants are being streamed into service industry jobs with few benefits. They're taking whatever jobs they can get."

Her solution? Ditch Canada's antiquated paper system of dealing with prospective immigrants and create a qualifications database for employers and immigrants.

Pilot programs at consulates in Manila, New Delhi and China are starting to do this, said Elizabeth McIsaac of the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council. "It needs to be available to all. Governments need to help immigrants hit the ground running."

Poverty: Peterborough Ontario

2008-05-08T08:55:00.000-07:00

Poverty: Grits say private sessions OK; Public, media barred from ...
Peterborough Examiner - Peterborough,Ontario,Canada
This decision is another sign of Premier Dalton McGuinty's government trying to control the message, Tory said. NDP Leader Howard Hampton said the ...
See all stories on this topic
http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1017662

http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1018584

High food prices? Here's how to save

2008-05-02T15:55:00.000-07:00

Prices for eggs, milk and flour have soared in the past year, rising faster than other staples. Experts share their secrets for stretching your food dollar.

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Article Tools
E-mail to a friendTools IndexPrint-friendly versionSite MapArticle IndexDiscuss in a Message BoardDigg This By Liz Pulliam Weston
Every trip to the grocery store seems to bring another shock. Bread. Butter. Eggs. Milk. Cheese. Even beer hasn't escaped the sudden resurgence of food inflation.

As painful as rising gas prices have been, big jumps in food prices are worse because we spend so much more of our budgets feeding ourselves (12.8%, on average) than we do feeding our cars (3.4%).

To help you cope, I consulted the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which tracks the Consumer Price Index, to find the five foods that had soared the most in price between March 2007 and March 2008.

Then I turned to a trio of seriously smart shoppers to find out how to save money on those particular items.

And the winners of the most inflated foodstuffs are (drumroll, please):

Flour, up 37%.

Eggs, up 34.8%.

Sweet peppers, up 29.2%.

Milk, up 23.1%.

Dried beans, up 21.6%.

Disability Activists picket Queen Street restaurant

2008-04-27T18:07:00.000-07:00

Release Aaron Shelbourne is a disability rights activist and a member of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP). He has Cerebral Palsy and uses Alternative Augmentative Communication Source: OCAP Media Release
Aaron Shelbourne is a disability rights activist and a member of the
Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP). He has Cerebral Palsy and uses
Alternative Augmentative Communication (AAC), which involves using his eyes
to communicate and the facilitation of an assistant.

Mr. Shelbourne went to Everest Restaurant on Queen St today to demand an apology from management that has told him they don't serve customers in
wheelchairs, and asked him never to come back. Mr. Shelbourne was joined
by 20 supporters today. Mr. Shelbourne entered Everest asking to speak with restaurant manager Karma Sanchok who had previously told him they don't serve people in wheelchairs. Mr. Shelbourne sought a public apology from Ms.Sanchok and the restaurant, and a promise that this kind of blatant discrimination would not continue. Ms. Sanchok refused to speak or engage with Aaron in any way, speaking only to his non-wheelchair-bound supporters and quickly retreating behind the counter refusing to apologize or speak directly to Mr. Shelbourne as a fellow human being. Ms. Sanchok proceeded to call the police to forcibly remove Mr. Shelbourne and his supporters from the restaurant.

Mr. Shelbourne's simple, just request for an apology was rudely ignored.
This is unacceptable, and Mr. Shelbourne is not prepared to allow this kind of discrimination to continue unchallenged. He calls on supporters, allies and members of the public - especially those using wheelchairs - to go to Everest Restaurant and demand an explanation from the management!

Mr. Shelbourne and his supporters and allies will be back at Everest en
masse in the near future, to pursue Mr. Shelbourne's just request for an
apology and to ensure that this restaurant does not discriminate against people with disabilities with impunity.

Background
Last week, Mr. Shelbourne went to Everest Restaurant & Lounge with one of
his assistants. They had a meal, and at one point he had to use the
washroom. It was not accessible and he nicked the door with his wheelchair
going in.

As Mr. Shelbourne and his communication assistant were leaving the restaurant, after paying for their meals, the restaurant manager pulled Mr. Shelbourne's assistant aside and informed her that they were not welcome
back. She said that the restaurant was newly renovated and wheelchairs
aren't welcome because they cause damage.

"I am a person," says Mr. Shelbourne. "The worker at the restaurant didn't even come to tell me all of this herself but went to my assistant instead. I was angry because I am a human being and I have rights."

This Friday March 28th, with the help of the Ontario Coalition Against
Poverty (OCAP) and DAMN2025, Mr. Shelbourne returned to Everest Restaurant to seek redress, to send a loud message to management, its customers and the public that people who use wheelchairs have rights and this type of treatment is discriminatory and unacceptable!

Says Mr. Shelbourne: "I am demanding a public apology from the management
of the restaurant. I want them to acknowledge that I am a person and that
because I use a wheelchair, that doesn't make me any less of a person. If they don't like scratches on their bathroom doors they should make the
washroom accessible!"

Time is running out for the poor

2008-04-17T21:41:00.000-07:00

LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Apr 17, 2008 04:30 AM
Re:Ontario wary of `25-in-5'

poverty plan

April 15

Children and Youth Services Minister Deb Matthews asks, "But 25 per cent of what? How are we going to measure our progress?" I'm happy to report that there are ample documents from other jurisdictions that have set out precise indicators, formulas, data-management methods and evaluation tools of poverty-reduction strategies from around the world.

Most of the 500 people who were pleased to have the minister in attendance at this week's anti-poverty forum would be happy to go over these existing indicators at a moment's notice.

In terms of affordable-housing, for example, one can measure production of new units compared to targets, rent levels, incomes, foreclosures, net loss of rental units, emergency-bed stays, waiting lists, expenditures on social-housing repairs and reduction of complaints, transfer of individuals from short-term care to long-term accommodation, and hundreds of tried and tested measurements of poverty reduction.

Madam Minister, we're here and ready to go.

Jennifer Ramsay, Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario, Toronto

While I admire and respect Minister Deb Matthews, I am disappointed to hear her say she can't commit to reducing poverty by 25 per cent in five years because we don't yet have a perfect measurement of poverty. That sounds like another lame excuse to do nothing about the poverty crisis, which has reached tragic and devastating dimensions.

The minister, her civil servants and the service providers who surround her need to understand that this is a monumental crisis. The poor cannot afford to wait any longer while the province mulls over how to measure poverty. Lives and futures hang in the balance.

My message to the province is to quit playing around and get to work, now. Any poor person in Ontario can tell the government what poverty is in about two minutes. It's not rocket science; it's basic common sense.

Deborah O'Connor, Northumberland Coalition Against Poverty, Cobourg, Ont.

Getting together to fight poverty

Editorial, April 15

We appreciate that Children and Youth Services Minister Deb Matthews took the time to hear the stories of people who live in poverty. This week's forum at Queen's Park, with more than 500 people in attendance, provided many with the opportunity to describe what it's like to go through a day without adequate food, or wonder how they're going to pay next month's rent.

The question now is: Is the government listening?

Nurses know the impact that poverty can have on people's health. That's why our organization is among those groups calling on the government to adopt the "25-in-5" strategy as an essential step to improve thousands of lives.

Matthews shouldn't be distracted by questions about how best to measure poverty. And suggestions that Ontario faces challenging economic times are not a reason to back away from a promise to help these citizens.

Quite the contrary, they are a reason to move forward.

Wendy Fucile, President, Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario, Toronto

Ontario wary of '25-in-5' poverty plan

2008-04-16T19:16:00.000-07:00

TONY BOCK/TORONTO STAR
Cabinet minister Deb Matthews talks with anti-poverty activist Dip
Habib, of the East Scarborough Storefront, at a forum at Queen's Park,
April 14, 2008. Email story
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Apr 15, 2008 04:30 AM
Laurie Monsebraaten
Staff Reporter

Ontario can't say it will cut poverty by 25 per cent in five years
until it has defined the problem, says the chair of a cabinet
committee drafting the Liberals' promised anti-poverty strategy.

"I'm happy to have an ambitious goal on a significant reduction in
poverty," Children and Youth Minister Deb Matthews told reporters
after attending a forum of about 500 anti-poverty activists at Queen's
Park yesterday.

"But 25 per cent of what?" she asked. "How are we going to measure our
progress? How are we going to measure poverty? This is one of our big
challenges."

The activists, part of a growing coalition with members as varied as
the City of Toronto, teachers' federations, Ryerson University, health-
care and immigrant groups, want the Liberals to follow countries such
as the U.K. that have reduced poverty by almost 25 per cent in the
past five years. They call themselves the 25-in-5 Network for Poverty
Reduction.

Canada doesn't have an official poverty line, Matthews said. However,
the number most often cited is Statistics Canada's low-income cut-off,
which for a single person in Toronto in 2006 was $17,570 after taxes.
For a family of four it was $33,221. (The before-tax amounts were
$21,202 for a single person and $39,399 for a family of four.)

But income alone doesn't tell the whole story, Matthews said.

For example, many children in low-income households struggle in school
and never reach their potential, she said. "How do we get at measuring
that kind of progress?" she asked. "It's way more than just an income
measure."

Matthews said the government is considering several different
indicators to measure the complexity of poverty and is looking at what
other countries use.

She said she will be seeking public input when formal consultations on
the plan begin later this spring.

"We were elected on a number of planks in our platform. One was not to
raise taxes. And one was not to run a deficit. So we have to live
within that reality," Matthews told reporters. "But I'm very, very
confident we're going to be able to do a lot of very good things
within that reality," she said.

"I can assure you we are very, very serious about developing a
comprehensive poverty reduction strategy," Matthews said. "We can't
afford poverty. It's in our economic best interests to really address
poverty."

The gathering, which included about 50 people living in poverty, urged
Matthews and her government to make bold changes to improve the lives
of some 1.3 million Ontarians living below Statistics Canada's low-
income cut-offs.

One of those was Michael Creek, a 50-year-old former Toronto business
manager whose battle with cancer in 1993 left him unable to work. But
it wasn't the cancer or mental illness that broke his spirit, he told
the forum. It was poverty.

Unable to afford TTC fare for anything but doctors' appointments or
shopping, Creek became increasingly lonely and isolated.

"The last time I went to a movie theatre was to see The Lion King," he
said. "This is how I started to disappear as a person."

Matthews, who seemed moved by the stories of Creek and others who
spoke, said one of the government's goals is to change the way it
provides services and income support to ensure people are helped and
not further marginalized.

"We need to turn government on its ear. We need to develop person-
centred strategies ... build on the strengths of people, not on their
pathologies," she said.

Although the group is excited by the Liberals' commitment to tackling
poverty with a comprehensive, long-term strategy by year's end,
members realize there is still an appetite in Ontario for tax cuts and
less government.

"There are many who adhere to the view that if you're poor it's your
own fault and, as a result, government has no business, no legitimate
role to play ameliorating, reducing or eradicating poverty," said Nick
Saul of the Stop Community Food Centre. And there are many competing
interests at the cabinet table, he told the group.

But the 25-in-5 network hopes the province will run with its demands
to "poverty proof" the minimum wage; enhance social benefits for
children and those unable to work; and beef up supports such as child
care and affordable housing.

http://www.socialplanningtoronto.org/25in5/declaration_eng.pdf

25 in 5:

2008-04-16T19:12:00.000-07:00

Apr 15, 2008 04:30 AM
Laurie Monsebraaten
Staff Reporter

Ontario can't say it will cut poverty by 25 per cent in five years
until it has defined the problem, says the chair of a cabinet
committee drafting the Liberals' promised anti-poverty strategy.

"I'm happy to have an ambitious goal on a significant reduction in
poverty," Children and Youth Minister Deb Matthews told reporters
after attending a forum of about 500 anti-poverty activists at Queen's
Park yesterday.

"But 25 per cent of what?" she asked. "How are we going to measure our
progress? How are we going to measure poverty? This is one of our big
challenges."

The activists, part of a growing coalition with members as varied as
the City of Toronto, teachers' federations, Ryerson University, health-
care and immigrant groups, want the Liberals to follow countries such
as the U.K. that have reduced poverty by almost 25 per cent in the
past five years. They call themselves the 25-in-5 Network for Poverty
Reduction.

Canada doesn't have an official poverty line, Matthews said. However,
the number most often cited is Statistics Canada's low-income cut-off,
which for a single person in Toronto in 2006 was $17,570 after taxes.
For a family of four it was $33,221. (The before-tax amounts were
$21,202 for a single person and $39,399 for a family of four.)

But income alone doesn't tell the whole story, Matthews said.

For example, many children in low-income households struggle in school
and never reach their potential, she said. "How do we get at measuring
that kind of progress?" she asked. "It's way more than just an income
measure."

Matthews said the government is considering several different
indicators to measure the complexity of poverty and is looking at what
other countries use.

She said she will be seeking public input when formal consultations on
the plan begin later this spring.

"We were elected on a number of planks in our platform. One was not to
raise taxes. And one was not to run a deficit. So we have to live
within that reality," Matthews told reporters. "But I'm very, very
confident we're going to be able to do a lot of very good things
within that reality," she said.

"I can assure you we are very, very serious about developing a
comprehensive poverty reduction strategy," Matthews said. "We can't
afford poverty. It's in our economic best interests to really address
poverty."

The gathering, which included about 50 people living in poverty, urged
Matthews and her government to make bold changes to improve the lives
of some 1.3 million Ontarians living below Statistics Canada's low-
income cut-offs.

One of those was Michael Creek, a 50-year-old former Toronto business
manager whose battle with cancer in 1993 left him unable to work. But
it wasn't the cancer or mental illness that broke his spirit, he told
the forum. It was poverty.

Unable to afford TTC fare for anything but doctors' appointments or
shopping, Creek became increasingly lonely and isolated.

"The last time I went to a movie theatre was to see The Lion King," he
said. "This is how I started to disappear as a person."

Matthews, who seemed moved by the stories of Creek and others who
spoke, said one of the government's goals is to change the way it
provides services and income support to ensure people are helped and
not further marginalized.

"We need to turn government on its ear. We need to develop person-
centred strategies ... build on the strengths of people, not on their
pathologies," she said.

Although the group is excited by the Liberals' commitment to tackling
poverty with a comprehensive, long-term strategy by year's end,
members realize there is still an appetite in Ontario for tax cuts and
less government.

"There are many who adhere to the view that if you're poor it's your
own fault and, as a result, government has no business, no legitimate
role to play ameliorating, reducing or eradicating poverty," said Nick
Saul of the Stop Community Food Centre. And there are many competing
interests at the cabinet table, he told the group.

But the 25-in-5 network hopes the province will run with its demands
to "poverty proof" the minimum wage; enhance social benefits for
children and those unable to work; and beef up supports such as child
care and affordable housing.

PRESS RELEASE:

2008-04-14T19:34:00.000-07:00

Apr. 14 - Ontario urged to adopt a "25 in 5" poverty target

The 25 in 5 Founding Declaration

Read about our founding principles and planks for a poverty reduction strategy

Countdown to a Poverty Reduction Plan
A 25 in 5 Forum - April 14
AT FULL CAPACITY

The 25 in 5 Network for Poverty Reduction is hosting a day-long forum on April 14 to build momentum for Ontario’s poverty reduction plan. Due to overwhelming demand, the forum is at full capacity, and now closed for registration.
More event information
Agenda for Apr. 14

Poverty Reduction News!

PRESS RELEASE:

Mar.25 - With today's down payment on poverty initiatives, the countdown to a comprehensive Ontario poverty reduction strategy has officially begun, said members of the 25 in 5 Network for Poverty Reduction.
Read full release.

Editorial - Poverty steps are just a start
(Toronto Star, Mar. 20, 2008)

Premier Dalton McGuinty has made a good down payment on a promised poverty reduction strategy for Ontario with his announcement that close to $300 million in next week's provincial budget will be allocated for programs to help low-income children and families...read more.

McGuinty to tackle health, housing
(Toronto Star, Mar. 18, 2008)

Eight-year-old Renesha Smith doesn't get red peppers at home so she relishes the days they're served at her school's snack program.

At Susan Gapka's apartment building, mould grows on rotting window frames while, for Jason Jones, poverty resulted in teeth so bad he couldn't get a job.

http://www.socialplanningtoronto.org/25in5/new.html

2008-03-04T16:49:00.000-08:00

OCAP Members Storm Council Meeting
Tuesday March 4, 2008
CityNews.ca Staff
Members of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) briefly took over Tuesday's city council meeting.
The demonstration was sparked by last week's death of a homeless man in a frigid downtown stairwell. OCAP says city officials are lying when they maintain there are enough shelter beds.
"So why are they sleeping in the common area, on the floor, no blankets, no pillows, lights on, and the explanation we were given, is that some of those people didn't want a bed and they like it with the lights on. That's how they want it to be. This is absurd," remarked OCAP's Gaetan Heroux.
None of the protestors was arrested, but they were escorted out of City Hall by police.

2008-03-04T16:11:00.000-08:00

February 2008 OCAP Publication - Special Edition: The Shelter Crisis

A new issue of OCAP's occasionally publication, "They Call It Struggle for a Reason" is now available for download. Taking a look at the current shelter crisis in Toronto, this issue includes writing on the $4 million cuts to the shelter system, the new police cameras at Dundas and Sherbourne, the illusion of the City's "Streets to Homes" policy and crumbling public housing.

Download the PDF (4.5 mb)

Submitted on February 9, 2008 - 4:09am

Can we end the scourge of child poverty?

2007-10-15T01:54:00.000-07:00

Oct 03, 2007 06:53 PM

Can we end the scourge of child poverty? The Star's Antonia Zerbisias hosts a discussion on Rogers Television in Toronto. Full broadcast: Sunday Oct 7 at 5 p.m., Monday Oct 8 at 1.30 a.m.

The Star's Antonia Zerbisias hosted a discussion on child poverty, broadcast on Rogers Television in Toronto.

NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY

Plight of Ontario children 'absolutely disgraceful'

NDP's Hampton points finger at Liberal policies, including clawback of federal low-income benefit

Oct 02, 2007 04:30 AM

Richard Brennan
STAFF REPORTER

NDP Leader Howard Hampton says when it comes to child poverty, Ontario is covered in shame.

"This year, Ontario became the child poverty capital of Canada. Not Newfoundland, not Prince Edward Island, not a poor Prairie province," Hampton told reporters yesterday while campaigning in Toronto before heading to Northern Ontario.

"It is absolutely disgraceful."

Hampton pointed an accusatory finger at Premier Dalton McGuinty's Liberal government, saying that, among other things, the Liberal government has continued to claw back federal money destined for poor children and adults.

"Four years ago Mr. McGuinty said it was wrong to be clawing money from the lowest income kids in the province, that's the National Child Benefit Supplement," Hampton said yesterday, as McGuinty was pledging to act on child poverty.

"It's $1,500 from the federal government that's meant to go to low-income kids to help escape poverty ... but here we are four years later and the McGuinty government is still clawing back almost $1,500 a year from almost the lowest income kids in Ontario."

In its last budget, the Liberal government announced the Ontario Child Benefit, which it says will put about $1,100 per child into the pockets of parents who are on welfare or among the working poor.

Hampton said the Liberal government has no credibility on child poverty, given that only now is McGuinty promising action. The NDP leader said he would not be setting hypothetical poverty reduction targets, but would instead concentrate on how to get there.

The Ontario Social Planning Network last month issued a report stating that Ontario is home to almost 44 per cent of the country's poor children. The report, based on an analysis of Statistics Canada income data, said there are 345,000 children living in poverty in Ontario, or 43.8 per cent of all the children living in poverty in Canada.

Hampton has been using the election campaign to drive home his message that the minimum wage should be raised immediately to $10 an hour from $8, saying that people can't live in Toronto on the current minimum wage without holding down several jobs. The Liberals have said they will increase it to $10.25 by 2010.

Hampton reminded reporters that McGuinty also promised to increase social assistance rates to keep pace with inflation, "but that hasn't happened either."

In the May 2004, the Liberals announced a 3 per cent rate increase to the basic needs allowance and maximum shelter allowance for individuals and families on social assistance. It was the first since 1993. Since then the rate has been increased twice by 2 per cent.

The Star's Antonia Zerbisias ho

McGuinty vows targets in bid to cut poverty levels

2007-10-15T01:48:00.000-07:00

LIBERALS

McGuinty vows targets in bid to cut poverty levels

Premier has 'thrown down gauntlet' to other parties with pledge, food bank director says

Oct 02, 2007 04:30 AM

Kerry Gillespie
Queen's Park Bureau

More than 1 million Ontarians live in poverty but a key step in changing that was promised yesterday by Premier Dalton McGuinty, anti-poverty groups say.

If the Liberals are re-elected, McGuinty said he'll make poverty reduction a priority and he'll introduce firm reduction targets within a year so the government can be measured on its progress.

McGuinty made the announcement, which expands on the Liberal platform promise to address child poverty, during a campaign stop at the Daily Bread Food Bank in Toronto.

"The folks here bring relief and hope to so many but even so it is our hope that one day we'll put you out of business," McGuinty said.

"It's really important that as a society we begin to recognize that there is poverty, let's agree on some telling indicators, let's make those transparent, let's measure those on a regular basis and let's put in a focused strategy so that we can show we're making progress – and if we're not making progress, we'll be held to account."

Numerous groups have called on provincial parties to commit to reduce poverty by 25 per cent within the next five years and 50 per cent within the next 10 years but McGuinty didn't utter those numbers yesterday. He said he'll consult experts before setting targets.

Both the Progressive Conservatives and New Democrats have said they'll implement measures to reduce poverty but neither has committed to setting specific targets, which anti-poverty groups say are vital.

"In 1989, all the federal politicians made a promise to end child poverty by 2000 – that didn't happen. We know government promises are often not kept," said Jacquie Maund, Ontario head of Campaign 2000, which advocates for the end of child poverty across Canada.

"(But) you can't achieve a target without a plan so it implies a greater level of commitment and follow through."

Maund would have preferred if McGuinty had agreed to the group's target of 25 per cent reduction within five years but said she was still very pleased with the commitment he made to work with experts and have a target in place within a year.

Campaign 2000 measures poverty using Statistics Canada's low-income cut-offs for 2005. For example, a family of four living in a large city like Toronto with an income of less than $32,556 a year after taxes is considered low-income.

By that measure there are 1.3 million Ontarians living in poverty and 345,000 of them are children.

Opposition parties have loudly criticized McGuinty for not following through with his promise from the last election to end the clawback of the national child benefit from families on welfare. (Instead, he introduced a new Ontario child benefit that goes to all low-income families, whether they are working or on welfare, but doesn't fully ramp up until 2011.)

"I say, Mr. McGuinty, you ought to find something you have some credibility on because judged by your record of the last three years you have absolutely no credibility in this issue," NDP Leader Howard Hampton told reporters yesterday.

But Gail Nyberg, executive director of Daily Bread, wants to hear something else from Hampton and Conservative Leader John Tory.

With a promise to introduce poverty-reduction targets and a comprehensive strategy to do it, the Liberals have "thrown down the gauntlet," Nyberg said. "You have nine days ... to put something in your platform that talks about reducing poverty around timelines and measures," she said.

Poverty-reduction targets have been used effectively in other countries to get numbers down quickly, Nyberg added.

In England, then-prime minister "Tony Blair decided he was going to reduce child poverty by 25 per cent in five years and you know what, they almost did it, they got to 23-point-something and the lesson we learned ... is if you're going to have real reduction in poverty you need to have a plan, you need a poverty reduction plan, you need to have some measures and you need to have a timeline," Nyberg said.

Quebec also used reduction targets to cut child poverty from 22.4 per cent in 1997 to 9.6 per cent in 2005.

Whoever comes to power Oct. 10 needs to recognize this, she said.

"(If) they give us real numbers, we'll announce how many food banks we'll close because this really is about putting ourselves out of business," she said.

Fight to end poverty a hard sell

2007-10-15T01:27:00.000-07:00

ONTARIO VOTES: POVERTY

Fight to end poverty a hard sell

Oct 06, 2007 04:30 AM

Laurie Monsebraaten
Staff Reporter

Poverty will always be with us.

You've heard the refrain. You've seen the helpless shrug.

But does it have to be that way?

A growing number of social activists say no. And they point to countries in Europe and provinces right here at home that have cut poverty by drafting plans, setting goals, dedicating funds – and measuring progress.

In short, where political leaders make fighting poverty a priority, the poor see results, says Gail Nyberg, head of Toronto's Daily Bread Food Bank.

She points to Britain, where former prime minister Tony Blair pledged to cut child poverty by 25 per cent in five years. While he narrowly missed his 2005 goal, (it dropped by 23 per cent) the country made real progress and the government has redoubled its efforts to meet its target of halving child poverty by 2010, she says.

In Quebec, which has a law requiring the government to fight poverty, child poverty has plummeted to less than 10 per cent in 2005 from 22 per cent in 1996.

Armed with these precedents, food banks, and other anti-poverty groups have been pressing candidates in Ontario's Oct. 10 election to put poverty on the political agenda and make meaningful commitments.

Did they succeed?

In a campaign dominated by the debate over public funding for faith-based schools, there was little talk around the water cooler or on radio phone-in shows about poverty reduction strategies, affordable housing, the minimum wage or welfare rates. This despite the fact the Star has run numerous articles and commentaries on the issue.

Still, there was a rally at Queen's Park and a concert at Massey Hall calling for action on poverty. Activists organized numerous all-candidates meetings across the province on the issue. And the party leaders themselves staged campaign events highlighting how they would reduce poverty in Ontario.

"To see the Liberal party and the NDP lining up – I think – together on this and (Progressive Conservative Leader) John Tory saying he also believes there needs to be some sort of a strategy is really significant," says Cindy Wilkey, of the Income Security Advocacy Centre which has produced a party check list on its website (incomesecurity.org).

So how do the parties stack up?

None of them have taken up the call to cut child poverty by 25 per cent in five years and by 50 per cent in 10 years – a campaign similar to the British model and endorsed by groups ranging from teachers federations to religious organizations.

But when Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty pledged last week to set firm poverty reduction targets within a year if elected, activists heralded it as a major step forward. NDP Leader Howard Hampton dismissed McGuinty's pledge as more empty promises. And despite a news release on the NDP website endorsing the so-called "25 in five" poverty reduction goal, Hampton has refused to champion the idea.

Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory agrees Ontario needs a strategy, but wouldn't commit to one until he knew what it would entail. And he wouldn't agree to any goals unless he knew they could be met.

The proverbial elephant in the room on all his, of course, is money: None of the parties have allocated any cash to a poverty reduction plan. And on specific party initiatives geared to the poor, few dollars are attached.

Even the NDP, which historically has been most progressive on the issue, didn't include government funding to cut poverty as one of its six major campaign priorities. The only priority item on the NDP platform dealing with poverty – an immediate $10 minimum wage – is aimed at "hard-working families" and arguably costs governments little.

Still, that's better than the Liberals, who are sticking to their spring budget plan to wait until 2010 to raise the minimum wage to $10.25. The Tories would seek advice from experts before approving any increases. The Green Party promises to raise it until a person working 40 hours a week earns more than poverty wages, but that's as specific as it gets.

On social assistance, the Liberals pledge nothing beyond their previous commitment to raise rates by 2 per cent next month. The NDP promises to raise rates to cover living costs and to put future increases in the hands of an independent panel. But they have not attached any money to the promise. A similar plan put forward by the Green Party doesn't carry a pricetag either.

The parties have made some budget commitments on affordable housing, child care and dental benefits for low-income families. And all say they will support the Liberals' newly created Ontario Child Benefit, worth up to $1,100 per child to low-income families by 2011.

In the case of child care, both the Liberals and the NDP are putting all their funding into full-day junior and senior kindergarten, a move that would free up space in daycares.

But those plans are at least two or three years away and child care needs money now, activists say – especially since the Liberals never kept their 2003 election promise to spend $300 million in new provincial funds in the area.

The Tories say they will "continue to invest" in child care but don't say how much. Only the Greens say they will spend an additional $300 million annually on child care.

Financial commitments to dental care are better. The Liberals say their summer-time pledge to spend $45 million a year on services for low-income families will be the first step in their poverty reduction strategy and the NDP promises to spend $100 million. But the Tories and Greens are silent on the issue.

On housing, the NDP has the most detailed plan, including $44.5 million earmarked for 10,000 new rent supplements to help low-income people pay for apartments in privately owned buildings. All three major parties say they will address the backlog of repairs to aging public housing stock across the province, but only the Tories have developed a specific plan with money attached.

The reluctance to talk about money when it comes to helping the poor is troubling to activist Wilkey, who says some $15 billion in tax revenues were drained from Ontario during the late 1990s under Mike Harris' Conservative government. "You can talk about all these priorities but unless we are actually prepared to deal with the fiscal capacity of the province, we can't move forward significantly on many things," she says.

"I may be a Pollyanna, but I'm hoping that the commitment to developing a comprehensive strategy (to fight poverty) will be realized," Wilkey says. "I'm hoping that it will provide an opportunity to have a broader discussion about the real cost of not investing in the quality of life in our communities and in the people who are losing ground while others are gaining ground quite significantly."

So, will the poor soon be a vanishing breed?

Derek Ballantyne, president of the Toronto Community Housing Corporation, which oversees a crumbling network of 58,500 public housing units that had been largely ignored until the election, is delighted that all three major political parties have weighed in on the issue.

But he knows when it comes to helping the poor, the devil is in the details.

"Maybe we've been successful at translating the notion that the poor will always be with us into: We will always have to address issues of the poor."

Poverty: Campaign Platforms

2007-10-15T01:13:00.000-07:00

Oct 06, 2007 04:30 AM

POVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGY

Party positions

Liberals: Within the first year of a new mandate would work with community to develop indicators and targets to measure and address poverty.

Conservatives: Would reduce poverty through a strong economy, apprenticeships for newcomers and more support for troubled neighbourhoods. No pledge to develop an overall plan.

NDP: Would introduce various tax and income measures including increased welfare payments and minimum wages but no specific plan with goals and timetables.

Greens: Commitment to social equity but no specific plan to measure poverty and set goals to reduce it.

As it stands: About 1.3 million people in Ontario — including 345,000 kids — live in poverty. Campaign 2000, a national coalition that fights child poverty, uses Statistics Canada after-tax, low-income cutoffs to define poverty. By that measure, a family of four living in Toronto earning less than $32,556 a year after taxes in 2005 was considered low income.

Fast facts: Most European countries have comprehensive poverty reduction strategies with measurable goals and timetables. Ireland led the way and since 2005 has cut poverty to less than 5 per cent from 15 per cent. Britain pledged to cut child poverty by 25 per cent in five years and came close to meeting that target last year when rates dropped by 23 per cent. The country’s ultimate goal is to eliminate child poverty by 2020. In Canada, Parliament in 1989 committed to ending child poverty by 2000 but no strategy to meet that goal was ever developed. As a result, rates of child poverty across the country stand virtually unchanged at 11.7 per cent.

Ask a candidate:
Do you think fighting poverty should be a priority for Queen’s Park?

Do you think Ontario needs a poverty-reduction strategy with specific goals and timetables to measure progress?

If not, how should poverty be addressed?

MINIMUM WAGE

Party positions

Liberals: Increase current minimum wage to $10.25 by 2010

Conservatives: Review minimum wage annually with increases based on consultations with business and social experts

NDP: Increase minimum wage to $10 immediately with annual increases linked to inflation

Green: Increase minimum wage until a person working 40 hours a week earns more than the poverty line, then index the minimum wage to inflation.

As it stands: The minimum wage is currently $8 an hour, an increase from $6.85 when the Liberals were
elected in 2003. Minimum wages in Ontario were frozen from 1995 to 2005 at $6.85 an hour. A $10 minimum wage would have to be $11.25 an hour in 2012 to have the same value as $10 in 2007.

Fast facts: 1.2 million people in Ontario earn less than $10 an hour and 237,000 of them make the current minimum wage or less, if they are considered self-employed and their work expenses aren’t covered. A $10 minimum wage would enable a full-time, full-year worker to earn a maximum (depending on hours) of about $20,000 annually. Alberta has just linked annual minimum wage increases to inflation.
North American studies show raising the minimum wage pumps money into local economies.
Some business groups say Ontario’s economy can’t absorb an immediate $10 minimum wage and that students and unskilled workers would lose their jobs.

Ask a candidate:
Do you think it’s right that someone working full-time, full-year for minimum wage could still be living in poverty?

Do you believe Ontario needs a minimum wage of $10 an hour? If not, what should the minimum wage be?

How should minimum wages be set?

AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Party positions

Liberals: Create a long-term strategy, with a mix of non-profit and co-operative housing. Introduce a new asset-building plan for low-income Ontarians. Conservatives Give municipalities flexibility to use shelter funding for permanent housing for the homeless. Allow social housing operators to borrow up to $1 billion to pay for repairs and new construction over 10 years and provide utp to $65 million annually to cover the principal and interest costs.

NDP: Provide 10,000 new rent supplements at $4,450 a unit; build 7,000 affordable units annually, including at least 1,500 co-op units; build 750 supportive housing units and 500 units for seniors.
Greens No commitments on housing

As it stands:
Canada is one of the few countries in the world without a national housing policy. The federal Liberals in the early 1990s downloaded housing to the provinces. Then in 2001, the former provincial Conservative government handed housing to the municipalities. Ontario is the only province in the country where municipalities are financially responsible for social housing.

Fast facts:
Just 3,575 affordable housing units have been built in Ontario since 2003. More than 250,000 households (400,000 people) live in subsidized housing in Ontario. More than 120,000 families are on waiting lists for subsidized housing, including about 75,000 in Toronto.

The average two-bedroom apartment in Toronto rents for $1,100 per month. Average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in public housing is $350 per month. About half of Toronto’s 58,500 public housing units are more than 35 years old and in desperate need of repair. The Toronto Community Housing Corporation is facing a $300 million capital repair deficit.

Ask a candidate:
Should Ontario build affordable housing for low-income residents?

Who should pay for the backlog of repairs in Toronto public housing?

What measures should be in place to ensure low-income residents get adequate housing?

What role should rent supplements play?